Door latch and lock.



PATENIED DEC. 3, 1907-.

L. 0. CAMPBELL. DOOR LATCH AND LOOK. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 2, 1905.

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Z), Alforney UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LEWIS C. OAMPBEIJL, OF KALAMAZOO, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO OTTO A.

GEESEKA AND ALFRED O. PITOHER, BOTH OF MOUNT PLEASANT, IOWA.

DOOR LATCH AND LOOK.

Patented Dec. 3, 1907.

Application filed August 2. 1905. Serial No. 272.371-

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEwIs C. CAMPBELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kalamazoo, in the county of Kalamazoo and State of Michigan, have invented new and useful Improvements in and Relating to Door Latches and Locks, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to door latches and locks and has for its object to produce a combined latch and lock simple in construction, of few parts, and so arranged as to operate by gravity, rendering unnecessary the use of any springs.

In the accompanyin drawings, Figure 1 is a side view of a com ined latch and lock embodying my invention, the face plate of the casing being removed. Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 with the parts shown in different positions. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the reversible latch piece. Fig. 4 is an end elevation.

I have shown my invention as applied to a mortise look, but I do not wish to be understood as limiting its useful applications to such a look, as it is obvious that theseveral parts may be changed or modified without changing its principles of operation.

The casmg in which the several moving parts are mounted is represented as having the side walls A, and the face strip B, in which are formed the openings a and b for the latch piece and locking bolt, respectively. Mounted in the casing is the spindle 2, provided with the usual knobs D and formed with a flat bearing face 2.

3 represents an arm pivotally mounted on a stud 4 within the casing, and preferably pivoted thereto on the opposite side of the spindle from the face-strip B. The arm 3 operates as the gravity member for the latch and lock and is of peculiar shape and construction, as represented in the drawings. It comprises the horizontal portion 3 which extends over and lies in engagement with the bearing surface 2 of the spindle, and a depending portion 3, which is preferably enlarged or weighted, as M5. The under surface of the part 5 of the arm is flat, as represented at 5, to engage with and hold in place.

the tumbler 14, as will be later described. Extending upwardly from the weighted part 5 is the latch-supporting member 6, its free end being provided with a stud or pin 7 on which is loosely mounted the latch piece 8. The latch piece is supported on the pin 7 in such manner that its inner end overbalances its outer end 9 and operates to throw the latter outward through the opening a in the facestrip B and into position to engage with the keeper of the latch, from which it is withdrawn whenever the arm 3 is raised by the turning of the spindle.

I prefer to make the latch-piece doubleended or reversible and of substantially arcshape, its two ends 8 being beveled and it being provided with two pivot a ertures 8", one relatively near each beve ed portion. By making the latch piece bent or arc-shape and the gravity member 3 of the peculiar construction above described and illustrated in the drawings, it will be seen that these two parts, when in their normal positions, lie in close engagement and occupy but little space, the inner overbalancing end of the latch piece occupying the space between the two parts 3 and 6 of the arm 3, which two parts constitute in effect a U-shaped weighted extension of thearm. The portion of thelatch piece that extends outward beyond 'its pivot pin 7 is formed with a smooth bearing surface 10 that is arranged to engage with the inner edge 11 of the face-strip B as the latch piece is raised into its abnormal osition by the turning of the spindle and the movement of the arm 3.

In the lower portion of the casing I arrange a sliding bolt 13, provided with a keyengaging notch 13. A tumbler 14, pivoted at one end of the casing, is mounted above the bolt 13 and between it and the arm 3. The free end of the tumbler 14 is arranged to set over the notch 13 of the sliding bolt and is provided with a lug or projection 16 which engages a tooth 17 extending upwardly from the upper edge of the bolt 13, to hold the latter in either its locked or unlocked positions. Upon the upper edge of the tumbler 14 lies the ortion 5 of the weighted arm 3 when the atter is in its normal position.

The 0 erations of the latch and lock may now be escribed: The spindle being turned, the flat bearing surface thereof engages the arm 3 and lifts the same, throwing the outer or free end 6 thereof u ward, thereby moving the latch piece 8 ho ily with it, and as the latch piece moves upward its surface 10 lifted andarranged to be bodily moved vertically thereby, and means for causing the l latch piece to swing on its pivot to disengage position, as,.indicated in Fig. 2, while the outer or beveled end is throwninward and within the casing. When the spindle is released, the weighted lever 3, supplemented by the weight of the latch piece, turns back to its normal position, the parts assuming thepositions indicated in Fig. 1. To operate the bolt, the key is inserted through the key-hole and first engages with the tumbler,

which latter being in engagement with the arm or lever 3, lifts the latter and at the same time causes the lug to disengage the tooth 17 on the bolt. As the key is further turned, after raising the tumbler, the bolt is shot, and when the key again disengages the tumbler, the latter is moved into osition by the arm 3 with the lug 16 behind the tooth 17. It will be seen that as the weighted arm lies inijengagement with the tumbler 14, the latter is held in engagement with the sliding bolt and operates to' lock the same in either of its locked or unlocked positions until the tumbler is raised by the turning of I: the key. Whenthe door is shut it is not necessary to turn the spindle, as the beveled surface8 will engage with the keeper and cause, theflatchpiece to swing on its pivot without moving the arm 3.

' What Iclaim is: 3'

, 1. In a latch, the combination of a turning spindle, a .weight arm arranged to be lifted by the turnin of the spindle, a latch piece ivoted directyto the arm and arrange to be moved bodily u ward when the spindle is turned, whereby t e weight of the latch piece serves to assist in restoring the parts to their normal positions, and means for turning the latch piece into the casing to disengage the keeper as said latch piece is moved upward, substantially as set forth.

2. In a latch, the combination with the knob spindle, of an arm arranged to be moved by the turning of the spindle, and a latch piece pivoted to the outer end of the arm arranged to swing 'on its pivot when the spindle 'is turned and to swing on its pivot when the door is closed without moving the arm, substantially as set forth.

3. In a latch, the combination with the casing and the knob spindle, of a weighted arm ivoted in said casing and arranged to be l'f fied when the spindle is turned, a latch piece pivoted to the end of the arm that is the keeperas it is moved upward, substantially as set forth.

4.. In a latch, the combination with the spindle provided with knobs, of a weighted arm, a latch piece pivotally connected to the arm and arranged to be moved upward when the spindle is f turned and to be returned to normal position by the weight of the arm when the spindle is released, means for swinging the latch piece on its pivot during its upward movement, and independent means for swinging the latch piece back to normal position when the weighted arm falls to its normal position, substantially as set forth.

5. In a latch, the combination with'a casing, of a spindle mounted therein and provided with a bearing surfaceyan arm, pivoted at one end to the casing, arranged to rest upon the bearingsurface, and its free end being provided with a pivot, an arc-shaped latch piece loosely mounted on said pivot, and a plate for swinging the latch piece on its pivot as the arm is moved by the turning of the spindle, substantially as set forth.

6. In a latch, the combination of a turning spindle, a bent latch piece provided with a beveled end, a U-shaped arm connecting the latch piece with the spindle and arranged to operate the former when the spindle is turned, the latch piece being pivoted to the arm near its beveled end, and its opposite end being arranged to lie within the space between the two parts of the U-shaped arm, and means for causing the latch piece to swing on its pivot as it is moved by the said arm,,substantially as set forth.

7. The combination of the turning spindle, a bolt, a tumbler therefor, a weighted lever or arm arranged to be lifted by the turning of the spindle, such lever being formed with a U-shaped extension adapted to bear upon the tumbler and hold it in operative positions, and a latch piece pivoted to the said extension of the weighted arm or lever, the inner end of the latch piece being Weighted and ar- O. B. HOWARD, H. A. DOUGLAS. 

